conkers
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Everything posted by conkers
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V hard, but always funny. Can make any good climber look a complete tool or very cool. Never use it much so I'll refer to the former!
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I have always been scared to death of the whole tax colecting scam. I am not an accountant so I employ one. I was recently investigated on some minor point in order for them to squeeze some money out of me and I ended up with a cheque for overpayments:001_tongue: I would strongly advise anybody with a turnover of over 20k to use an accountant. It does not let you off the hook but it is less likely they will bother you, as chartered accountants are duty bound to inform of any wrong doing. If you are legit anyway:ohmy:
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Am with Skyhuck on his first point, plus in the instance of the picture on this thread- If the root plate failed, the mewp looks very close to the base and the fate of tree, climber and expensive kit is the same! We have tried using mewp's on really poor trees but due to access the whole thing has been a failure due to time waisted on soft terrain, setting up with countless boards on soft ground and the machine not quite getting you into positions to make safe cuts. It seems to me they are a great bit of kit but only in a very few situations. Back to said tree. Sneak up on it on a calm day and remove small sections quickly until the tree is half its weight. Am not there though so respect to climber for getting the job done!
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We are also busy, because we have a wide work base but we tend to loose out on take downs, not pruning because that is what my competitors tend to be cheap at. In the current economy I think it is realistic to cut overheads, scale down and where possible reduce the burden on customers. Dean- Good idea but I always verbalise such things on site visits, without putting in writing. When somebody has no interest in trees and wants the tree down, they usually are faced with a large cost they do not want to pay and though we know how much we need to charge, a day rate of £275 -£450 is alot of money! Hence they tend to choose the cheapest + most of my compitition are perfectly good at what they do! What we need to avoid as mentioned by others on other threads is the de value of our industry.
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So you all probably know the deal. You charge what you consider to be a sensible amount given all the costs but you also know that apart from the customers you have a built up, whenever a job goes to three or four quotes the same people keep getting the work at knock down prices. I know it is tough for some guys especially if they are just setting up- but the temptation to play the -we will beat any written quote- game just to stop the silliness is getting greater. Is this happening in your area?
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Not all veteran trees are protected. In fact most are not but belong on the tree register. How can it be ok to remove a 800 yr old tree because it is not protected due to it not being in public veiw but is dropping leaves in someones gutters who have a five year ownership of the tree and decide to drop it because they can?
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Nigel Benn. Good fighter but no manners!
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Does anyone know any loopholes to save the customer VAT on tree work ligitimatly. If you are over the treshhold but offer different services can you split your company up for the benefit of domestic customers?
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Give the trees a chance Skyhuck. If we don't use our judgement over the average bod then what chance do we have of any work in ten years time. Have snitched on a tree tpo just the once and smile with smugness every time I drive past it, untouched and looking very unfelled!
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We just swop jobs around, make calls and pull in work which better suits the conditions. If we did not work in the rain we would be working about 6 weeks a year! Once made myself ill taking down an Ash for 8 hours in January rain so I try to be a bit smarter now.
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Earlier in summer try picking Elder flowers, dip in batter and then into hot fat. Awsome with Maple syrup. We go out foraging all the time. This time of year, pie every day.
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In last pic in the background more limbs just shed on near tree about 4 days ago:confused1:
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Called out to this on the shores of Coniston water. Have to dismantle remaining stem, badly weighted and with no remaining roots on the lake side of the tree:ohmy: No targets except a few Chestnuts to avoid. In the last year the oaks around the estate have shed limbs all over the place regardless of weather or time of year. No fungi or insect damage. Healthy crowns. Any ideas anyone? Got to use the buggy though:001_smile:
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You can usually get a good idea with one bore cut,ie colour of sawdust or goes through[ if you don't have a core sampler]. It is a judgement call but avoid snatching or rigging at all and get the weight off asap but not so as the trees weight is really badly altered part way through process. If it is very poor and it has to be dismantled and no access for crane etc you have to tell the customer it is a case of damage limitation and the climber has to decide on the limitation!! IMO
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Cheers. Been meaning to get some of that stuff
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really useful site especially the Falklands stuff, but there would be tears if you ripped it at those prices. Cheers
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I agree but by the same token, it is no good having a mog with a massive greedy chipper if your local market is thin, lift and reduce! Big kit looks good but you have to cut your cloth to suit your market which sometimes means asking what the other quotes were after you get or don't get the work. It does not make a lot of sense anyway. Prices are all over the place, except one chap over here who is consistantly cheaper than everone... by a long way.
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We are still busy up here with work still coming in, but I am selling a Navara at the mo which is a really bloody straight 4x4 with good history and good condition and I have not had one enquiry. no plug intended:sneaky2: Already dropped the price once. Sold a 5 year old Astra van 9yrs ago only £500 cheaper! No problem. Ordered a new Isuzu 3.5t, but made the deal months ago. Wish I had gone second hand now. Ebay..... paaaah 14 watchers and one silly bid:mad1:
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Does anybody have a waterproof jacket that will stand up to most tree work and stay waterproof. In light of the summer we have had, I'm getting soaked almost every day and never really bothered before but I'm running out of radiators:mad1:
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We are all dragged down by the lowest prices in your area. Ie here it is £240 a day for two man team. We cannot compete for that money and they will run their company into the ground inside three years. Customer wins but as for wages- it filters down to low wages for employees. Minefield:mad1:
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Have seen a few old Ash like that on top of windswept hills. I suppose the wood that is remaining is used to taking a battering. Your tree looks top heavy to load that stem!
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Shiney tree toys loose their appeal after you have had a few shiney toys that break, and become a ball and chain. Admin is less appealing. I just like getting stuck in and it's often the jobs you dread that end up being the best. I bet there is not one person on here who thinks they are going to be millionaires thru Arb. That says something!
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The skills needed in many aspects of grounding should mean a good wage in return. The reality is that across the hort/agric/arb in fact anything in the land based industry- pay is naff. The economics do not add up. There are not enough customers in Britain to pay the number of tree companies with two man, well equipped, pro teams any more than £300 a day let alone £400 a day which is nearer the mark. Loads of us get fustrated by the money but love [most] of the work. Money does'nt grow on trees but it's fun looking,cheesey:ohmy:
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Have found that when you have reached the canopy, traditional prussiks work fine, as long as you are not up and down the stem, but then, who does? Yale xtc plus:001_smile:
